Test #4 (religion) Flashcards
who were christians associated with?
Jews
difference between Christians and Jews
(70CE) the Jewish temple was destroyed
Jews had banished Christians from the synagogue
Christians (disappeared) started worshiping in their own houses
the beneficial effect of Martyrdom
it was an attractive force
why did population limit persecutions?
not enough Christians
how did Rome’s opinion on other religions limit persecution?
they had a general tolerance of religions
autonomy
independence
Rome’s autonomy of governors
the governors did not care about rules because no one was enforcing them to follow rules (Rome was too big)
Pliny’s description of the activities of Christians
sang hymns to Christ (like he is a God)
gather morning and nights
share meals together
take an oath: to not cheat, lie, steal
why was superstition a reason for persecution?
any superstition that referred to the beliefs and practices were foreign and strange
superstition–>public welfare
why was the age of Christianity a reason for persecution?
it was a new religion
the older the religion–> the truer it is (the farther back it was, the closer to the Gods it was)
Justin Martyr response to “dishonoring the Roman Gods”
“We just can’t worship your gods. We pray for your emperor’s well-being and believe he’s there but under Gods will. “
why was the keeping the stability of the empire a reason for persecution?
they belived there needs to be a balance between society and god.
if they did not respect them properly, it would lead to chaos.
Christians not worshiping Roman Gods was injuring the gods/society relationship
apology
defense
libellus
certificate/pamphlet proving you sacrificed to the Roman Gods
lapsed
Christians who had a lapse in their faith (guys to sacrificed to the Roman Gods)
confessor
people who confessed to being Christians during the edict
rumors of christianity: theystean feasts
cannibalism
a Greek God that was tricked into eating his own children
rumors of christianity: oedipean intercourse
incest
a Greek king who unknowingly married his mother
rumors of christianity: atheism
christians not belived in the Roman Gods
reason for Pliny/Trajan letter
Pliny ran into Christians and didn’t know what to do with them
Pliny/Trajan letter: were Christian groups good?
no because they can turn into a secret society/political discord
Pliny/Trajan letter: were Christians guilty?
yes unless they recant
Pliny/Trajan letter: what do Christians do?
sing hymns
share a meal
take an oath
Did Trajan want to hunt Christians
no
they were not bad people
Justin Martyr: what crime are Christians guilty of?
being Christians
Justin Martyr: how to get justice against the Christians?
Inquire what Christians are actually doing and then come to a judgement.
Justin Martyr: what do Christians do together and after with the newly baptized?
pray for the baptized
salute each other with a kiss
Justin Martyr: what is the Eucharist?
body and blood of Christ
Justin Martyr: what are Christians doing?
help the needy
praise God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Christians keep together
donate to the church
eat bread and wine
Justin Martyr: What day do they come together and why?
Sunday
The day that God created the world
Christ was resurrected on that day
occurrences in the Crisis of the Third Century
increased the military by half
increased military pay by 50% (leading to debasing silver to pay soldiers)
creation of the Gallic/Palmerian empire
50 emperors in a 30-year period
plague
Valarian was the first emperor to be captured in battle
Crisis of the Third Century importance
one reason for the general mandate (under Decius) for the worship of the Roman Gods
Decius
first emperor to make a empire mandate to sacrifice to the Roman Gods (not targeted towards Christians)
consequences of not following Decius
property confiscates
imprisonment
death
Decius effects on Christians
some fled
some got fake libellus
some sacrificed to Roman Gods
martyred
how long did Decius rules last?
a few (2-3) years
Lapsed Christians: Novation
doesn’t want to let the lapsed totally back into the Church
not allowed to take the Eucharist
Lapsed Christians: Cyprian of Carthage
they should be let back in after forgiveness
winning opinion
Cyprian of Carthage
Bishop of Carthage
wrote on the lapsed to give his opinion
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: View of the Confessors
thought they were brave/courageous (held them in high esteem)
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: Sacred Kiss
kiss to greet each other
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: Food of Heaven
the Eucharist
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: Persecutions
people weren’t being good Christians so God had punished them
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: Penance
visible sign through deeds or words that somebody is sorry
Cyprian of Carthage Theme: Answering What ?
What should we do to the Christians that sacrificed to the Roman Gods?
Valerian
Roman emperor
first person to persecute Christians
Valerian edicts
orders the persecution of all of Christian clergy
forbids Christians to gather in large groups
made church leaders to participate in pagan rituals
took away status of higher Christians (recant or death)
Valerian magistrates
no because no one was making them enforce the rules
Valerian persecutions and afterward
lasted 2-3 years
he gets captured in battle
next emperor makes a long-lasting edict leaving Christians alone
Diocleation
roman emperor
started the Great Persecution (10 years)
Diocleation edicts
Christian meetings=illegal
Christian scriptures=destroyed
Churches=destroyed
Christian freedmen=re-enslaved
Christian clergy=arrested
People of the empire=perform public sacrifices
Edict of Milan
313
legitimated Christianity, does not make it official religion
written by Constantine (thought maybe Christians worshiping their God is what the Romans need for their empire)
